Maximum Security
by Zapwing
Summary: Who says prisons are secure? WARNING: MIGHT CONTAIN SOME GORE!


**Maximum Security**

The blue energy beams fizzed open, relinquishing their hold on the barrier. As soon as they whizzed upwards, the Irken soldiers tossed their cargo into the cell, a thin, red eyed Irken. "How dare you imprison the _mighty _Zim!" shouted the Irken, as he scuffled to his feet. He lunged forward to tackle the two soldiers, but was thrown back as the energy barrier kicked in. They laughed as Zim collided with the wall opposite the field.

"You'll pay for ruining my honour!" shouted Zim "You, the Tallest and everyone! You'll have the _glorious_ privilege of dying at my _amazing _hands!"

But the corridor was silent, and there was no one to scream at since the soldiers had left. Zim huffed angrily and idly fingered the suppression bolt attached to his PAK, denying him most of its functions. Cursing the Tallest for doing this to him, he sat down on the small cot, pondering on what had happened.

He hadn't expected to be beaten up by the other invaders and had the true purpose of his mission revealed to him. Couldn't they understand that he'd done his best for the Empire? He'd just been trying to help! And, oh, such help he gave them! It had been stupendous! Especially his increase in height! But they hadn't bothered to acknowledge that either, and here he was.

"They'll see the might of Zim after I break out of this prison," he mumbled to himself.

"Rambling again?" said a female voice, sneeringly.

Zim looked up to see a very familiar face. "You!" he yelled "What are you doing here!" Tak smiled from behind the barrier. She was wearing the standard prison guard's uniform; grey pants, black military grade combat boots, a grey jacket over a black tank top.

Zim couldn't help but notice something different about her. Was it the fact that she had grown too? Or was it the way her uniform accentuated her lean figure.

"I'm on patrol duty, you turd" she said condescendingly. "Thanks to you, I'm stuck as a guard here on this planet." She yawned and leaned against the barrier, checking if her claws were filed right. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be, you know" she continued "The pay's not so bad, the food's alright, and I can actually sleep in a nice bed for a change."

Zim growled.

"But you know the best part about my job?" she asked, looking at Zim "I get to spend the next twenty five years watching you rot before you serve your death sentence."

"How dare you!" exclaimed Zim "Do you realize-

"Oh, wait, I'm so sorry!" said Tak in mock surprise, "You're too brain dead to rot!"

Zim bristled angrily. "You wench! Zim can rot anytime he wants! Oh, such _amazing_ rotting I will do!" Tak rolled her eyes and walked off, laughing.

* * *

It was dinner time, and a small rectangular opening had appeared in the energy barrier. Zim looked up as a tray of food was handed through. "Eat up" said the guard roughly, as Zim took his ration. It was a standard food pack, reserved for inmates. The corporation who manufactured these made sure they were as tasteless and disgusting as possible, since they were exclusively supplied to prisons.

"Enjoying your meal?" said Tak mockingly, as she walked past "If I were you, I'd try the mash first. I hear it's divine."

Zim glared at Tak as she departed, laughing. How dare she suggest the mash! It was smelly and disgusting and did I mention smelly? Zim grumbled as he drove his spoon into the mash with the intent of stabbing it when-

_CLUNK _

Zim's eyes went wide as he struck something hard…in the mash? He furrowed his brow, and dug through the mash suspiciously and found what was in it. He stared at the object in shock. It was a MP- LX syringe, used by assassins. Zim could tell the chemical inside was the deadly poison Synax 55.

This syringe was special, because, not only could it deploy the poisons fast and efficiently, it also acted as a bomb. When the chemical payload was injected into the victim's bloodstream, the user would set the timer by twisting the top of the syringe, starting the countdown. The syringe would then explode, causing catastrophic damage. It was a very useful device if you wanted to kill someone and cause a lab accident at the same time.

Now why had he been given this?

Zim's antennae shot upwards as he heard footsteps. He widened his eyes and slipped the syringe into the cot's sheets. Just in time too, as a guard was walking past, staring at Zim, sneeringly.

* * *

The time passed on excruciatingly slowly, as the hours came and went. By midnight, Zim was still sitting on his cot, fingering the syringe. There was a sudden influx of voices, and Zim hid the syringe again. Guards came to his cell, holding onto an Irken, who was struggling to free himself of his captors. The barrier fizzed open and he was unceremoniously chucked inside.

"Got some company for you, Zim" laughed the guard as he departed with his companion.

Zim looked at the newcomer. He was the average Irken, the sort you could just overlook in a crowd. Zim sighed softly. The great Zim demanded better company than this! But his contemplation was cut short when he notices the number on the Irken's shirt.

**7749**

Now, where had he seen that number before? It hit Zim harder than a sledge hammer. The number on the Irken's shirt and the number on his own were the same. Suddenly, Zim knew what to do. He leapt from his cot, and looked out of his cell. There were no guards along the corridor.

Nodding to himself, he turned back to the Irken. The Irken in question was getting to his feet when he noticed Zim staring at him. "What are you looking-?

His sentence was cut short when Zim lunged forward and stabbed the syringe into the base of the Irken's neck. The Irken's eyes rolled back into his skull as the poison assaulted his systems. He gargled something unintelligible but it was mostly muffled by the foam frothing out of his mouth.

Satisfied and certain that he was dead, Zim then maneuvered the body next to where he knew the energy conduits would be for the barrier. They were made of a special alloy, but with a significantly powerful blast…

Zim worked quickly, knowing the security sensors would notice a change in the Irken's heartbeat. Having positioned the body the way he wanted it to, he twisted the syringe's head, still stuck in the Irken's neck. There was a beeping sound a small flashing light had appeared. Zim scooted away and hid under the cot, bracing himself.

There was a loud beep, followed by a huge explosion. The blast threw up smoke and pieces of the Irken went flying, painting the walls with pale, whitish, Irken biogel. Zim crawled out of his hiding place and kicked away a piece of the Irken's spine, in disgust.

The barrier was now open, the energy having been cut off. Zim ran out of the cell and down the corridor. Already alarms were ringing. He would have to follow his instincts and the signs as he made his way through the prison. He was just about to reach a pair of doors, when they burst open and an Irken with a pistol stepped through.

"You!" he yelled "Hands on your head and-

_THWACK!_

Zim started in surprise as Tak burst through from a side door and swung her rifle's butt into the Irken's skull, caving it in, and causing an eyeball to pop like a balloon. The impact had crushed the bone, causing biogel to fly everywhere. The Irken gargled, vomited, and died, biogel wobbling around his catastrophic head wound.

"Tak!" exclaimed Zim "what-

"Hold still!" she said as she pulled out a tool and set to work on Zim's PAK. There were a few clicks, and Zim felt the suppression bolt come free, returning his PAK's functions. Tak threw away the bolt and handed an energy carbine to Zim. "Here, this'll come in handy."

Zim accepted the weapon, and followed Tak through the halls. He didn't know why she did it, but he had the suspicion that Tak had given him the syringe…

* * *

Tak and Zim blew open the doors, as the last of the guards fell, his ribcage and spine exposed after having most of his Spooch carved out. He frothed at the mouth, clawing at the empty cavity in his torso tearing it up some more, while his fluids flew everywhere. Tak stomped him into submission, sending even more gore splattering onto the walls.

"Come on!" she shouted, "My ship's waiting!" Zim followed, shoving another pulse tube into his carbine's loading array. Sure enough, her Spittle Runner was docked in the distance.

They both clambered in, but not before a stray shot whizzed by and clipped Tak on the arm, the energy whizzing her flesh. Tak yelled and fell back onto her seat. Zim hurriedly activated the controls, sending the ship into space. Minutes later, he jacked the hyper drive, and they were off.

Zim unbuckled himself and turned his attention to Tak. She was clutching her arm, hissing in pain every few seconds. "I can't operate the controls" she said "You'll have to fly the ship". Zim nodded, not particularly concerned. Irken were naturally good pilots anyway.

He extended his PAK arms and began work on Tak's arm. Tak winced but then relaxed as Zim applied the standard medical procedures. She then sat beside Zim as he piloted the craft. It was somewhat cramped, but still comfortable.

* * *

An hour later, Zim felt a pressure on his side. He looked down and found Tak's head resting against his chest. She was sleeping now, snoring slightly, the rescue having exhausted her. Strangely enough, Zim liked her the way she was now, enjoying the way her antennae caressed his cheek, making him feel warm all over.

Later, he knew that when she woke up, she would shrug off the whole thing.

_Oh well,_ he thought, smiling, _best if I enjoy the contact while it lasts…

* * *

_

Tak was tired, that much she knew, but not this tired. She had been jolted awake, as her head came to rest upon Zim's chest, but he didn't try to move her. Strangely enough, Tak liked him the way he was now, enjoying the way his Spooch pulsed through the rough material of his shirt, lulling her to sleep again, her eyelids, which had only been slightly open, fluttering closed again..

Later, she knew that when she woke up, he would try to forget the whole thing.

_Oh well,_ she thought, a small smile tugging at her lips, _best if I enjoy the contact while it lasts…_


End file.
